A recent study shows that people feel unsafe to speak their minds at work. The author believes that the trickiness of the topics may be more of a function of how we perceive our conversation partners. When we talk about issues that are politically risky, we tend to see the other person in a less positive light. The stories we tell ourselves portray us as bad people. To feel more confident and less fearful about speaking up with your peers, there are tactics you can use, including maintaining curiosity, focusing on facts rather than judgments or opinions, questioning your assumptions, and recognizing you have a right to your viewpoint, even if others disagree with it.
People are more hesitant to speak up at work now than they were a few years ago. I was not surprised when the study our firm conducted in late 2021 of more than 1,400 people confirmed this. One of the most volatile social landscapes of our time is what we are living in. The magnitude of the fear was not surprising. Nine out of 10 respondents have felt unsafe to speak their mind in the past 18 months. 39% of people said they felt unsafe every day or every week. Some people report that they are as confident in social situations as ever.
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